More than 100 employees at psychiatric hospital upset over no paychecks

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Now it's called Hopebridge Hospital, but in 2012 it was Westbury Community hospital and was raided by the FBI amid allegations of Medicaid fraud. Previous owners were convicted and the hospital filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Now it appears a new owner's attempt to turn the hospital around is fruitless.

"Some people live paycheck to paycheck," said former hospital employee Edward Sharp.

And 160 employees who worked at the now closed psychiatric hospital say they don't know if or when they will see their final paychecks.

'"Bills unpaid, utilities probably going to be turned off," said former employee Charlene Freeman. "We can't get unemployment because they messed that up telling us we were going to get paid."

"The reason employees haven't been paid, including us, is because one of the manage care providers which processes claims for Medicaid has not honored their agreement," said Hopebridge CFO Anthony Brown.

Brown says the trouble began when the Joint Commission and the Center for Medicare Services refused to accredit the psychiatric hospital. Medicaid and Medicare pay for 95 percent of the hospital's patients.

All the patients are gone, but Brown says the hospital is still owed over a million dollars from Medicaid and the third party provider is holding up those payments.

"When we get paid, they'll get paid," Brown said.